Most schools acquire their portrait index file (PSPA) through their school photographer or publishing partners. This file is typically shared via online drive access or delivered on a USB key, varying with the provider of the student photos and index file. Further details can be found in the following article: Understanding Portrait PSPA File Format
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Go to the Manage Portraits
A - Select the "Manage Portraits" option.
B - Choose to "Check-Out" the book for the purpose of importing a PSPA file. This action involves considerable alterations to the yearbook's structure, particularly in terms of panel flow.
Important: When the book is checked out, it becomes inaccessible for editing by others until it is checked back in. It's advisable to perform this task early in the yearbook creation process or during periods when no one else is editing. Be aware that if the book is checked out while others are editing, they will not be able to continue their edits until the book is checked back in.
Upload PSPA Index
| A - Click the "Import People" button to initiate the process of uploading a PSPA file. |  |
B - Click the "Upload PSPA Index" button to access the file selection dialog. C - The "Cancel Import" button can be used at any time to abort the import process. |  |
D - Navigate to the directory containing your PSPA index file. E - Choose the Index.txt or Index.csv file, or the equivalent file named provided by the photographer. F - Click "Open" to begin the file upload. |  |
Validating the Integrity of the Portrait File
The top row of your portrait database will display column names - verify that these match the information underneath them. For instance, ensure that the homeroom teachers' names aren't under the Grade column, or that First and Last names aren't reversed. It's important to get this information right, because it cannot be changed after import.
Change Column Association
If the data in the columns is mismatched to the labels above them, click on the V on the column label to correct it. For instance, if classroom teachers' names appear under a column named Grade, change the label from Grade to Teacher Name.
Ignore Unnecessary iIformation
If certain columns contain unnecessary information (eg. random codes), set the column to be ignored. This reduces clutter in your database.
Import People
When you are satisfied with the column headers, click on Import People at the top of the page. The database will now be imported into your book.
Importing Portrait Photos
After importing your database, a warning will appear to remind you to associate photos to your database. To upload the portrait images associated to the data file, click on Import Photos.
Click on the upload icon to navigate to the folder(s) on your system which hold the portraits. Multi-select all images (Ctrl-A on Windows, Cmd-A on Mac) to add all files within a folder at once. You can also drag the photos (one folder at a time, if applicable) to the upload icon.
The images will begin uploading immediately.
After uploading, click on View Portraits to see your Portrait database, complete with photos and associated information.
Should you have a second portrait package, you can import it so it will be added to your first import.
Should you need to replace the entire database, manually delete all records.
Next step: Assign roles to your portraits.
Having problems importing? Consult the Portrait import troubleshooting article.
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